4-Year-Old’s Death Focuses Attention on Two New York City Agencies

Migdalia Morales, told detectives that her son, Juan Sanchez, 4, could have accidentally swallowed rat poison left by exterminators who had recently visited the building.Credit
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

It was a sunny Sunday morning, so Juan Sanchez’s mother took him and his four brothers out to a park. It would be his last play date.

When the family returned home, 4-year-old Juan lagged behind his brothers as they climbed the stairs of their building at 976 Tinton Avenue in the Bronx. Back at home, he was soon struggling to breathe.

Juan died a day later, leaving behind many unanswered questions about what might have cut short his young life. Though the cause of death is still under investigation, Juan’s mother, Migdalia Morales, told detectives that he could have accidentally swallowed rat poison left by exterminators who had recently visited the building. The police also said he took a sip from an open container in the building on his way upstairs.

Juan’s death has focused attention on whether two city agencies, the Administration for Children’s Services and the Department of Homeless Services, did enough to help the family. Police officials said that the children’s services agency had repeatedly contacted Ms. Morales for failing to send her children to school and for not adequately supervising them. A spokesman for the agency said he was unable to discuss any specific cases, citing privacy concerns.

Ms. Morales and her family were placed in the Bronx building in August by the Department of Homeless Services, which provides housing for some families in private buildings. Officials at the department said they regularly inspect all such buildings, including the Tinton Avenue one, to ensure that they are clean and suitable for families.

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Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, the deputy mayor for health and human services, said in a statement Thursday that she was directing the Department of Homeless Services “to initiate a full review of protocols, policies and procedures related to ensuring the safety of children in shelters.”

Ms. Morales could not be reached for comment. Police officers visiting the family’s apartment on Sunday reported that they found it to be relatively clean, though without much food.

Several neighbors said that Ms. Morales seemed overwhelmed, and that her older children could often be found roaming the hallways unsupervised and did not appear to go to school regularly. “She can’t control them,” Tiffany Nurse, 23, said. “They cuss her out, the older ones.”

Shannon Nelson, 38, described Juan as a quiet boy who would stay inside the apartment with his mother and younger brother. She said that Ms. Morales had asked her to look after her children on Sunday after Juan became ill. Ms. Nelson said she went to the apartment and saw Juan on the floor. “He was all different colors,” she said. “He’s gone. He’s gone. I just knew it.”